I was purposely leading you along.
Standalone GPS on a watch doesn't serve much purpose
for me beyond (maybe) distance and speed calculation. It records a route, sure, which doesn't seem to be worth much past having something to print out and stick to the refrigerator.
People were all about slamming the Series 0 when it was introduced without GPS, but they didn't seem to consider how little functionality would really be added when there's no data connection. GPS-minus-data means no navigation, no Siri searching for Starbucks, and still no texts or calls while out on a run without the phone.
"Can the Series 2 show maps?" was a question for a while, at least until enough noobs realized how maps work on gadgets these days (always-available data, not preloaded maps like a decade ago).
For now, I still don't think the GPS chip
by itself is enough of a feature to make an upgrade from a first-gen to a Series 2 worthwhile. As part of the total package, it's fine (and I think the revised construction is a more important upgrade). But I don't think buyers should expect the GPS to enable tons of new things for the AW to do.
Here's the last time I took my Garmin on a ride with my AW "S0" and phone. I'm not going to ride without a phone anyway, and because these numbers were basically identical (and ignoring the Garmin's ability to lose GPS for way too long), I nearly put the Garmin and all its accessories on Craigslist the next day. (maybe I should've because it's stupid cold now)
